AOL goes soul-searching with Google in 5-year deal

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AOL has signed a deal with Google to make it the sole provider for paid text-based search and contextual ads on the company's US websites for the next five years.

In effect the two internet companies renewed and expanded their vows today to include the all-important mobile search and the (to date) non-revenue generator YouTube.

But the announcement itself is a timely one given that it comes just 48 hours after Microsoft's Bingification of Yahoo! drew closer on Tuesday, when the transition of advertisers' search-based campaigns from Yahoo! Search Marketing to MS adCenter kicked off.

The deal struck by AOL and Google will see the two firms sharing revenues, but financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

"Today is another important step in the turnaround of AOL," said the ailing web outfit's boss Tim Armstrong.

"AOL users will be getting a better search and search ads experience from the best search company in the world – Google.

"After nearly a decade-long partnership in search, we're looking forward to expanding our global relationship to mobile search and YouTube. All aspects of our partnership will be improved by this deal." ®